The Bruins will have an unblemished record tested against their first ranked opponents of the season.

UCLA football (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) will return to the Rose Bowl on Friday evening to host No. 15 Washington (4-0, 1-0) in its second conference game of the year. The two teams make up two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the Pac-12.

Coach Chip Kelly did not downplay the challenge his defense will face this week and said his team’s focus is on slowing down the Huskies’ passing game, which has produced more yards than anyone in the nation this year.

“That’s the big matchup,” Kelly said. “Kalen’s (coach Kalen DeBoer has) done a great job everywhere he’s been with that scheme, so that’s really from a defensive perspective is our ability to disrupt their passing game and keep them off track, so that’s going to be the challenge.”

Unlike UCLA, Washington experienced personnel changes at the head of its offense this past offseason, bringing in a new coach in DeBoer as well as a new starting quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who transferred after four years with Indiana.

The pair spent time together with the Hoosiers, where DeBoer was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019. DeBoer most recently spent the last two seasons as the head coach of Fresno State, during which he overcame UCLA in a down-to-the-wire victory in September 2021 to give the blue and gold its first loss of the season.

Kelly said the preexisting chemistry between Washington’s coach and its signal-caller makes the team more polished than most would be with a first-year transfer leading the way at quarterback.

“It’s a little bit different than normal,” Kelly said. “I think he’s got a pretty good grasp of the system because he’s played in it before.”

The reunion has led to positive results for Washington thus far, with Penix leading the NCAA by throwing for 347 passing yards per game with the eighth most passing touchdowns. Three Husky wide receivers have combined for 916 receiving yards, led by Rome Odunze with 97.7 yards per game.

Penix also has yet to take a sack this season, which senior linebacker Carl Jones Jr. said the Bruins’ defense takes as a challenge.

“Our group, we’re sack-hungry,” Jones said. “Their o-line has to go against us, not us going against them.”

The Huskies, who have already matched their win total from last season, currently lead the Pac-12 in total offense with 530.8 yards per game – also the fifth highest mark in the nation – though they rank seventh in the conference in rushing offense. Washington also allows the third fewest yards per game in the Pac-12, just behind UCLA.

Given the potency of the Huskies’ offense, redshirt junior tight end Hudson Habermehl said the team will make it a point to make an impact early. Standing in their way will be a defense that has held its opponents to fewer than eight points per game in the first half this season.

“Every team tries to get off to a quick start,” Habermehl said. “This game, we come out swinging – that would be a really good advantage.”

After entering the season unranked, Washington leaped into the AP Top 25 after defeating then-No. 11 Michigan State in week three and climbed up to the top 15 after blowing out Stanford last week.

The Bruins, on the other hand, have yet to sniff the rankings despite their best start since the 2015 season. But with its first chance to face a ranked opponent – who has yet to leave its home turf this season – UCLA has an opportunity to show voters it belongs.

Ahead of the blue and gold’s first high-profile matchup of the season, Jones said the team is preparing the same as they would any other week and doesn’t see itself as a heavy underdog.

“We come out here just like they went out there in Washington in practice,” Jones said. “Two good teams coming together. We’re just going to see who’s more prepared.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Pasadena.